Terre Haute Car Accident Lawyers

Finding Terre Haute, IN Car Accident Lawyers

Although common, traffic accidents frequently have devastating consequences. A crash can severely impact your health and finances, and you could even suffer from life-threatening injuries, such as brain, spinal, and internal damage. If you experienced a collision caused by another party’s negligence, you can file a personal injury claim with help from Terre Haute Car Accident Lawyers. After all, the accident wasn’t your fault, so why should you have to pay out of pocket for property damage, medical bills, and other accident-related expenses?

Here at Crossen Law Firm, our Terre Haute Personal Injury lawyers help Indiana residents with legal issues related to personal injury cases. With many years of combined experience and legal knowledge, our lawyers can help you navigate every part of your personal injury case.

Our founding partner, personal injury lawyer Trevor Crossen, has over 20 years of legal experience handling complex personal injury and wrongful death cases. He and our team are ready to fight for your legal rights and seek maximum compensation for your troubles.

In addition to claims, our law firm has numerous years of experience in court. If we cannot reach a favorable settlement with the at-fault party’s insurer, we’ll represent you in a personal injury lawsuit.

Have you suffered from a car accident in Terre Haute, Indiana? Call 317-401-8626 today.

How Pre-existing Medical Conditions Affect Car Accident Claims

In the context of car accidents and insurance, a pre-existing medical condition refers to a personal injury or condition a victim suffered from before their accident.

For instance, suppose a man is severely injured from a slip and fall. The fall caused him to suffer a severe back injury, which required extensive treatment and medical costs. Years later, the same person suffers from a devastating car accident caused by someone else’s negligence. The victim claims that they now have back pain as a direct result of the automobile accident.

In this case, the insurance company of the responsible party would likely deny liability for the victim’s back pain. The insurance company’s in-house investigator would uncover the man’s previous medical records. The insurance company would then conclude the victim already suffered from back pain before the accident, meaning they are not financially liable.

Sadly, many personal injury victims fail to recover full and fair compensation because of pre-existing conditions. In the previous example, the victim could be suffering from severe back pain because of the car accident in question. Still, the insurance company could deny the claim by citing the victim’s pre-existing injury.

It’s important to note that insurance companies are for-profit businesses, and they do not want to pay out insurance claims. If you’ve been injured in a crash, the at-fault party’s insurer will look for reasons to deny or devalue your claim in an effort to save money. They could argue that your car accident injury is a pre-existing condition, meaning they deny liability. The insurer’s legal team can even subpoena your medical records to uncover pre-existing conditions caused by a previous accident or illness.

A few common pre-existing conditions that impact a personal injury case include:

• Arthritis and joint pain
• Spinal cord and back injuries
• Head and brain injuries
• Fibromyalgia
• Mental and emotional health issues
• Neck injuries

Not all pre-existing conditions will affect your claim. For example, a mild concussion from a childhood accident would likely not impact your ability to recoup compensation for a recent serious traumatic brain injury (TBI). It would be obvious the mild concussion has little to no effect on your current personal injury and that a separate event caused your TBI. Still, you’ll need to gather evidence to prove the negligent party was directly at fault for your traumatic brain injury or other internal injuries.

Necessary evidence you should collect may include:

• Eyewitness testimony
• Police reports
• Photos and videos of the crash and its aftermath
• Photographic evidence of your condition
• Your medical bills
• Proof of lost income
• Receipts for car repairs and other expenses caused by the accident
• Accident reconstructionist

You can still recover just compensation even if you have a pre-existing condition. You have the right to recover damages if the accident exacerbated your medical condition and pain. That said, you’ll need to provide sufficient evidence to prove that the car accident worsened your medical condition.

Personal injury claims involving pre-existing conditions are complicated. Remember, the at-fault driver’s insurance company will do whatever they can to reduce or deny your settlement. For that reason, you need experienced legal counsel to help you prove your claim.

The Impact of Vehicle Recalls on Car Accident Liability

In most car accident cases, a driver is at fault for causing the accident. The driver (or their insurer) is then responsible for injuries and car repairs.

But what if your accident occurred because of a vehicle recall? Is the vehicle manufacturer liable?

Manufacturers have a legal obligation to inform the public when they learn of a potential hazard. They must also offer a solution to fix the hazard, such as replacing faulty vehicle parts. If the manufacturer did not inform you of the hazard, they could be liable for any losses that the vehicle caused, including injuries, property damage, and wrongful death.

Importantly, the vehicle hazard needs to have caused or contributed to the collision. For instance, picture yourself behind the wheel approaching a red light. You attempt to halt your vehicle, but your brakes fail to stop your car, thus causing a crash at the intersection.

In this hypothetical personal injury case, the vehicle or parts manufacturer could be at fault. Your car’s faulty brakes caused the accident, and you did everything in your power to avoid the accident.

On the other hand, suppose your car has a faulty airbag that doesn’t deploy. While incredibly hazardous for drivers and passengers, the defective airbag will likely not cause a collision. If you crash into another vehicle, the vehicle or parts manufacturer is only responsible for the damages caused by the faulty product.

You could sue them to obtain compensation for your injuries. After all, the airbag is for protecting you in a crash. You could argue that your injuries wouldn’t have been as severe if the airbag had functioned properly. That said, the manufacturer would likely not be at fault for the accident itself or the other driver’s injuries.

Now, suppose you received a notice informing you that your vehicle was recalled. It is now your responsibility as a reasonable person to fix the hazard, especially if the issue could cause a traffic accident.

Terre Haute, Indiana Car Accident FAQ

Can You Recover Compensation for Mental Health Treatment After an Accident?

In addition to physical injuries, car accident victims can develop mental and emotional injuries. These conditions can severely impact a person’s life, including their ability to work and socialize. Sadly, those who suffer from permanent injuries often also struggle with mental and emotional troubles.

Common mental health conditions a personal injury victim may experience include anxiety, fear, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. These conditions often require ongoing mental health treatment as well as prescriptions.

Fortunately, you can obtain compensation for your mental health treatment with a personal injury claim. This compensation comes in the form of two broad categories: economic and non-economic damages.

A few types of evidence for mental and emotional injuries are:

• Prescription records
• Documentation from mental health professionals
• Expert medical testimony
• Personal journal documenting how the accident impacted your mental health
• Testimony from family and friends

Economic damages compensate personal injury victims for specific monetary expenses, such as prescriptions, therapy, future medical expenses, and lost wages. These damages reimburse for any expenses you had to pay or will pay because of the car accident.

In contrast, non-economic damages compensate you for intangible losses, such as pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life. These damages are harder to prove because they are not physical.

Fortunately, you can still use medical bills and documentation to help recoup financial compensation.

It’s important to work with a Terre Haute personal injury lawyer when seeking just compensation for mental and emotional injuries. Proving you suffered mental and emotional personal injuries from your accident is challenging, so you’ll need a law firm with years of experience working in personal injury law.

What Happens If an Accident Was Caused by Roadside Hazards?

Road hazards are a dangerous reality in Indiana, causing numerous accidents and personal injury cases every year.

A few common roadside hazards include:

• Potholes
• Debris
• Animals
• Standing water
• Loose gravel
• Cones
• Tires and other vehicle components
• Cracks

In addition to these hazards, road design flaws can cause serious accidents.

Some examples include:

• Obstructed traffic signs
• Lack of road markings
• Poorly designed intersections
• Confusing or misleading signs
• Blind curves without warning signs
• Lack of barriers or guardrails
• Inadequate lighting

It is possible to hold another party accountable for roadside hazards, but you’ll need to prove the hazard directly caused or contributed to your accident. For instance, a construction company could fail to clean and remove debris from a construction site near a major road, resulting in property damage and personal injury cases.

There have also been cases in which the Indiana state government was responsible for hazards, such as failing to maintain roads. While it is possible to hold the state financially liable, proving negligence is difficult.

If you suffered from a personal injury caused by roadside hazards, it’s best to consult with a Terre Haute personal injury lawyer. An attorney experienced in personal injury cases and Indiana law can assist you through the entire legal process.

Contact Terre Haute, IN Car Accident Lawyers at Crossen Law Firm

If you suffered from a car accident, you need an attorney who has years of experience practicing personal injury law. With Crossen Law Firm, you can count on our Terre Haute personal injury lawyers to help you every step of the way, and our team will work tirelessly to pursue maximum compensation.

In addition to car accidents, our team has years of experience handling other types of personal injury law. Our other practice areas include medical malpractice, dog bites, construction accidents, product liability, slip and falls, wrongful death, and more.

Don’t wait to get the legal help you deserve from our team, which has been practicing law for over thirty years and maintains active memberships in the American Bar Association and Indiana Trial Lawyers Association. Our commitment to exceptional legal representation has earned us recognition from the American Association for Justice, and we’re ready to put our experience to work for you.

You can explore your legal options today by scheduling a free consultation. Schedule your initial consultation by calling 317-401-8626 or fill out our form.